Radionuclides have many uses. For instance, in medicine radionuclides are frequently used to kill undesired cells, such as cancer cells. A difficulty in utilizing radionuclides for killing cancer cells is in localizing the radionuclides to the proximity of tumors and cancer cells while sparing normal cells and tissues. Radionuclides kill cells by emitting ionizing radiation. Cells will die when sufficient numbers of ionizing events take place within the cell nuclei. Accordingly, the radionuclides must be localized near cancer cells. The ionizing radiation then interacts with cell nuclei such that cancer cells are more likely to be killed than non-cancerous cells.
Radionuclides are also used in science as tracers and in nuclear power generation processes. The use of radionuclides leads to waste products contaminated with radioactive components. Such waste products are difficult to dispose of safely. If the radionuclides could be selectively removed from the waste product, the remaining material of the waste product could be disposed of by conventional means.
It would be desirable to develop methods for localizing radionuclides near cells which are to be selectively killed. It would also be desirable to develop methods for selectively separating waste radionuclides from non-radioactive waste constituents.